This invention is generally directed to a novel connector assembly construction and a novel design for the components which provide for a novel method of assembling such a connector assembly. The connector assembly provides an intravenous ("IV") connection between an IV tube which is attached to a patient and a second IV tube which is attached to a supply of intravenous fluid, including medicines or the like. The connector assembly includes a housing in which a needle or cannula is secured with said needle or cannula being surrounded by a housing. The connector assembly, viz., the cannula and housing, are assembled to a needle site receptacle which is in turn connected to the patient's IV supply line. More particularly, the invention contemplates a novel connector assembly which is connected to an IV receptacle to provide a safe, sealed connection. The connector assembly is assembled to the receptacle easily and minimizes the possibility of a nurse or technician who is assembling the connection from being inadvertently punctured by the needle or cannula.
The connector assembly of the present invention can be manufactured and assembled inexpensively, quickly and easily. In this regard a needle carrying hub is force-fitted into the housing to form the assembled device and cannot be easily removed from the housing. One-way barbs are employed to bite into the needle hub or the housing to preclude withdrawal of the needle hub from the housing. Thus, expensive molds and over molding or insert molding processes are not required.
Prior art connector assemblies, such as the Interlink.RTM. I.V. Access System provides a connection between an IV tube which is attached to a patient and a second IV supply tube which is attached to a supply of intravenous fluids, including medicines or the like. Interlink.RTM. is a registered trademark of the Baxter Healthcare Corporation. The Interlink.RTM. system includes a connector component including a cannula which is inserted into a receptacle carried by the patients IV line, and the component also includes a pair of locking levers on either side of the cannula. To form the connection, a nurse or technician presses on the levers so that the distal ends of the levers pivot outwardly. He or she next inserts the cannula into an injection site receptacle member which is attached to the patient's IV tube. Thereafter, the levers are released and the distal ends of the levers grip the injection site member to maintain the connection.
This type of system provides an effective connection for delivering medicines to a patient. In this type of system, however, the tip of the cannula is uncovered and exposed. Thus, a nurse or technician can inadvertently contact the cannula end and puncture himself or herself which can result in contamination of the sterility of the IV line or injury to the nurse or technician.
It is also known to provide a connector assembly, comprised of a housing and a needle carrying hub mounted within the housing, wherein the hub is disposed through the open forward end of the housing. That is, the forward end is the end of the housing that receives or is initially engaged with the IV receptacle. This design requires a cumbersome and expensive procedure of disposing and aligning the needle hub within the housing, and the employment of some form of attachment procedure for securing the hub within the housing. A further disadvantage with this design, is that the fluid must first enter the housing, then pass into the needle hub, and from the needle hub into the receptacle. This design thus presents numerous interfaces between the various components, which interfaces are potential sources of leakage. It will be appreciated from the discussion which follows, the present invention minimizes the number of interfaces.
The present invention overcomes many of the prior art problems by providing a housing which completely surrounds the cannula, including the tip of the cannula, and which can be assembled easily, quickly and does not require anything more than the initial engagement of the needle carrying hub with the housing. Also assembly is effected through the rear portion of the housing with a minimum degree of skill and without complicated assembly techniques. Further, there is provided a connection assembly wherein the needle or cannula is surrounded by the housing thus reducing the possibility of a nurse or technician being inadvertently punctured during use, ie. assembly of the cannula to a receptacle.
The present invention presents several other advantages over prior art connector assemblies as will be described herein.